E-payment processing group First Data is in the "final stage" of opening two datacenters in Brazil, the company said in a statement. The facilities are being developed in partnership with IBM and are aimed principally, though not exclusively, at supporting the operations of Bin, First Data's newly launched credit and debit card acquiring solution tailored to the local market. Updated 5 Years ago

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), maker of the Xbox videoGAME console, is in discussions to acquire Mojang AB, the software company behind the popular game Minecraft, for more than $2 billion, three people with knowledge of the talks said. Microsoft, the world’s largest software maker, is in serious talks with 4-year-old Mojang, said the people, who asked not to be named because the negotiations aren’t public. The deal may be concluded as soon as this week, though next week is more likely, said two people. Updated 5 Years ago

AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. (ANG), the world’s third-largest gold producer, plans a $2.1 billion rights issue as it spins off operations outside South Africa into a new London-listed company. The stock slumped the most in six years. Johannesburg-based AngloGold hired UBS AG (UBSN) and Goldman Sachs International to advise on the share sale, designed to repay debt, according to a statement today. The creation of the new company has been approved by South Africa’s central bank, AngloGold said. Updated 5 Years ago

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe faces a tough decision on whether to hike the consumption tax to 10 percent next year given the nation's nascent economic recovery, the governor of Tokyo told CNBC on Wednesday. "The GDP (gross domestic product) figures are going down, [so] it's a very, very difficult question," Governor of Tokyo Yoichi Masuzoe said in an interview with CNBC's Kaori Enjoji. Updated 5 Years ago

Moscow and Tehran are discussing plans for Russian companies to help construct power plants in Iran, in return for crude oil, sources close to the trade talks now underway in Tehran told ITAR-TASS. The sources did not disclose the amount of Iranian oil to be delivered in exchange for the power plants, but estimate the first stage of the contract could be worth up to $5 billion. Updated 5 Years ago

The stock market value of Facebook passed the $200 billion mark for the first time on Monday, surpassing Google in terms of the pace of its increasing market capitalization. The social network is now worth more than technology old-timers such as IBM, Intel and Oracle, as well as Toyota, Coca-Cola, and Bank of America, standing on a par with HSBC. Updated 5 Years ago

The long-running investigation aims to settle concerns that the search giant has abused its dominant position in the European search market. Competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia revealed that he could also open a probe into Google's mobile operating system Android. Updated 5 Years ago

The device runs apps, acts as a health and fitness tracker and communicates with the iPhone. While rival smartwatches already exist, experts said Apple had a history of entering sectors relatively late and then changing their direction. Updated 5 Years ago

Known only as Bailey, the 23-year-old had set up a page to ask for $2,500 (£1,550) to pay for the operation, saying she was having a "rough, unplanned and unexpected pregnancy". Following complaints, the website said that it no longer wanted to be associated with her campaign. Updated 5 Years ago

The Sendai plant secured preliminary approval for the restart in July and has now completed a public consultation period. The regulator says the reactors have met new standards introduced after the Fukushima disaster. Updated 5 Years ago